EXCLUSIVE: Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James are joining forces to star in a scorching new play by Penelope Skinner, directed by Ian Rickson, that will open in London’s West End in the fall.
26.05.2023 - 18:37 / variety.com
David Benedict “Will someone kindly tell me what on Earth has happened?” Well, quite. That’s the that line Michael Ball’s George sings when surveying the absurdity before him, including the body of his passed-out partner Rose (Laura Pitt-Pulford) who has just been shot by his jealous nephew Alec (Jamie Bogyo). Judging by the unexpected laughter that greeted it on opening night, others are framing his question more widely while witnessing this revival — that’s not the right term — of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1989 musical “Aspects of Love.” For that scene and the whole queasy, quasi-romantic story to work, you need emotional truth. But despite the cast’s sincere efforts there is scarcely a speck of that for them to work with. In the sung-through score (no bookwriter is credited; the text is the work of lyricists Don Black and Charles Hart) they are left to sing rambling expository dialogue at one another and emote, giving audiences little to connect with. Lloyd Webber can and does lace lines from the show’s two big tunes, “Love Changes Everything” and “Seeing Is Believing,” through his score all night, but it doesn’t compensate for the lack of believable drama. And that’s before you get to the sexual politics.
It’s based on a novella by David Garnett. He was a minor figure of the Bloomsbury group of artists (including Virginia Woolf) about whom Dorothy Parker winningly wrote that they “lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles.” That view was born out when Garnett notoriously wondered if he might ultimately marry the newborn daughter of his lover Duncan Grant. And, 24 years later, he did just that — a circumstance almost echoed in the plot. In the first of snippet of a scene — there are 39 — we watch
EXCLUSIVE: Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James are joining forces to star in a scorching new play by Penelope Skinner, directed by Ian Rickson, that will open in London’s West End in the fall.
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is known for being an incredible composer and theatrical producer, whose eclectic rock-based works helped revitalise British and American musical theatre.
Love Island's Tasha Ghouri appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning and wore a sweet tribute to her boyfriend Andrew Le Page as she spoke about her experience growing up deaf.The star, 23, looked stunning as she opted for a classic black suit over a black T-shirt and showed off her natural beauty as she wore minimal makeup. She styled the look with a dainty gold necklace featuring a letter T, for Tasha, and the letter A in a sweet tribute to her boyfriend Andrew, whom she met through the hit ITV show Love Island.
SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the Season 3 finale of Ted Lasso.
A different ending. Jeremy Strong tried to improvise a much darker conclusion for Kendall Roy on the series finale of Succession.
Joel Corry is reportedly dating Love Island's Coco Lodge.The DJ, who performed for the Islanders in the villa last summer, was first spotted partying with Coco in Dubai earlier this year.The star, who has just released new music with TikTok sensation Caity Baser, told The Sun: "I have never been asked about this before... "Coco is lovely and she came out to see me in Las Vegas and, yeah, she had a great time." Coco found fame in the Love Island villa when she entered as a Casa Amor bombshell during Casa Amor last year. During her 12-day stint on the show the graphic designer, 27, had been in the middle of the scandal of the series when she told Tasha Ghouri the antics she got up to in the bedroom with Andrew Le Page.
chancellor of the exchequer can also force the Duke of York, 63, to vacate the premises.This position in the Parliament is the chief finance minister and is responsible for setting volumes of taxation and public spending across the country.The current chancellor is Jeremy Hunt.“The lease is in the duke’s name, so no one can take that away from him,” the friend told the Times recently.“It has never been suggested that it could be taken away from him,” the pal continued. “It’s a long lease with 80 to 90 years left on it.”They continued: “That’s not a matter for the king.
Tyger Drew Honey was snapped at the West End premiere of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Aspects of Love on Thursday night, smiling for pictures on the red carpet. The 27-year-old actor, known for playing eldest son Jake Brockman in BBC sitcom Outnumbered, was joined by his girlfriend of five years, Fluke Chotphuang, for the outing. Keeping a casual look, he donned a pair of dark-wash jeans with a printed T-shirt, layering a light grey jacket over the top.
Barry Humphries convinced Andrew Lloyd Webber to star on 'Who Do You Think You Are?'. The 75-year-old composer has revealed that the late comedian - who died in April, aged 89 - talked him into accepting the offer to appear on the BBC show. He told The Sun newspaper: "The late, great Barry Humphries encouraged me to do 'Who Do You Think You Are?'.
died in Switzerland on Wednesday at the age of 83 after longtime battles with illnesses including cancer, high blood pressure and kidney disease.A towering, acclaimed musical based on her life has played in theater districts around the world since 2018.London’s West End version was undergoing a performance Wednesday evening when the audience found out about Turner’s passing — and the moment was caught on video.“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” star Kristina Love — who plays the lead role — tearfully halted the production at Aldwych Theatre to pay tribute to the groundbreaking music giant.In a video shown on the chat show “Good Morning Britain” Thursday, Love addressed the audience.“We’re here tonight because one woman boldly lived her life, from cotton fields to stardom,” she said in a video shown on the UK chat show “Good Morning Britain” on Thursday.“You have all found yourself in her story, in her music, and we’re all here today. So tonight we’re gonna party because we know there’s a huge party in heaven right now,” Love said.The audience gasped, clapped and cheered, with many shedding tears.
Naman Ramachandran Theaters in London’s West End will dim their lights at 7pm local time on Thursday in memory of Tina Turner, who died on Wednesday. Hannah Essex, co-chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and U.K. Theatre, said: “The theatre world pays tribute to the immense talent and impact of Tina Turner. She has inspired countless generations through not only her pioneering music career, but her ability to break down barriers in the face of adversity. She will be greatly missed.” “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” is currently playing at the Aldwych Theatre, located in the heart of the West End, London’s theatre district. Kristina Love plays the iconic singer in the musical.
A mini Brat Pack reunion took place over the weekend. Andrew McCarthy shared a present-day photo with Demi Moore on his Instagram, accompanied by a throwback pic to their "St. Elmo’s Fire" days.
EXCLUSIVE: Neil Meron, a force behind bring live events to television including such musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie and The Sound of Music, has joined Andrew Lloyd Webber’s London-based Really Useful Group as a consultant, Lloyd Webber announced today.
Florence Pugh covers up her freshly shaved head with a wig while filming We Live in Time with Andrew Garfield on Thursday night (May 18) in Orpington, U.K.
Sunset Boulevard. Inspired by the 1950 film of the same name, the musical features songs by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, and first opened in the West End 30 years ago. Norma is a silent film star whose career is fading, and she teams up with an eager young screenwriter named Joe Gillis as both seek to reach the heights of Hollywood fame.
Donna Summer fans might wish for a more comprehensive documentary bio than HBO’s Love to Love You, Donna Summer (★★★★★), but it’s hard to imagine a more intimate portrait of the woman, artist, mother, and hit-making Queen of Disco than this fascinating music-filled odyssey.Co-directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and actress-director Brooklyn Sudano, the middle of Summer’s three daughters, Love to Love You is framed as the family’s attempt to, as Brooklyn puts it, “figure out the many pieces of who Mom really was.”Summer, who succumbed to lung cancer in May 2012, provides the filmmakers key pieces to the puzzle by way of her songs and performances, recorded interviews, and footage she shot herself with her treasured Sony movie camera.At the height of her ’70s fame as pop’s First Lady of Love, Summer bought the camera because she loved making movies — and to entertain herself and the crew while on tour, according to her sister Mary Ellen, who sang backup. The video skits and home movies reveal the singer to be an unapologetic goofball, far from the gyrating diva of so-called Sex Rock that her label Casablanca Records was selling.Sex siren was merely a role she played, Summer explains in an interview voiceover.
"Jeopardy! Masters" became a contact sport on Monday evening when contestant James Holzhauer lashed out at fellow competitor Andrew He with his 2019 championship belt — all in jest, of course. James playfully heaved the heavy belt in Andrew’s direction after he teased him about having no money on the board. "I’ll bet $2,000 plus all of James’ points," Andrew joked after landing on a Daily Double early in the show.
Just recently, it was announced that filmmaker Andrew Niccol is set to revisit his “Lord of War” film with a new sequel, aptly titled “Lords of War.” Well, before he gets going on that film and a reunion with Nicolas Cage, Niccol has another project lined up which could begin filming later this year, “I, Object.” READ MORE: ‘Lords Of War’: Nic Cage & Bill Skarsgård Teaming With Andrew Niccol On A Sequel To 2005’s ‘Lord Of War’ According to THR, Andrew Niccol is begun putting a cast together for his next film, the live-action/animation hybrid film, “I, Object.” And the new members of the cast include Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”), Karl Urban (“The Boys”), Thomasin McKenzie (“Jojo Rabbit”), and Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”).
Prince Andrew is reportedly refusing to vacate the Royal Lodge, despite plans for Prince William to move into the property. King Charles is said to have embarked on a shake-up of royal households in recent months, with the duke of York set to be moved from Royal Lodge - the 30-room, Grade II listed mansion, in Windsor Great Park, where he has lived with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since 2003. As part of the shake-up, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were evicted from Frogmore Cottage - the UK home they were gifted by the late Queen following their marriage in 2018.
Kalush Orchestra opened this year’s Eurovision song contest with an emotive rendition of their 2022 winning song, ‘Stefania’.This year’s instalment of the concert is taking take place in Liverpool, following the ongoing political conflict taking place in Ukraine.The opening also saw the band joined by musicians and famous figures from afar.